There are two
kinds of instructional tapes. The first is primarily a catalog of
techniques. The featured instructor runs through a bunch of moves with
minimal commentary. The second kind reverses the equation--fewer
techniques but more commentary. Of course it isn't a matter of
either/or, but rather of more or less. One is not better than the other.
It simply depends on what you need.

The Keith
Schwartz Judo series is the first kind.

Keith demonstrates a buttload of throws, hold-downs, submissions (chokes
and locks, and self-defense moves), including some that are illegal in
competition but look like they would be useful on the street or in a
jungle or an atoll in the South Pacific after a few days of softening up
by 16" shells. Judo throws happen fast and the set-up is usually
fairly direct. Unlike Mario Sperry, Keith can't and doesn't need to
devote a lot of time to the subtleties of how an opponent might react.
Judo players are much more constrained in how they can react than are
jiu-jitsu fighters (due to contest rules). So once Keith has the
necessary grips, and creates the unbalanced position (the kuzushi)
he executes the throw. It's all over pretty quickly.

That would
make for a short tape. But the tapes aren't particularly short,
averaging 48 minutes (with the usual Panther Productions padding at the
beginning). Since Keith doesn't talk much, the obvious thing to do is
show the same move several times. And Keith does, in one case, as many
as 18 times (the uchimata counter on tape 8 is one example, but there
are plenty more). This isn't necessarily bad. Rather than simply showing
the exact same video footage many times, Keith actually does the throw
again. You get to see it from different angles and generally with slight
variations in set-up and grip, which is essential to learning the true
nature of the technique.

One of the good
things about this tape set is that all the moves are labeled and
numbered, both on the tape and outside, on the box, for convenient
reference. Moreover, the techniques are named in both English and
Japanese (which is the international language of judo). The English
translations are generally not very informative, unless you already know
the technique and how the Japanese name for it is typically translated
(it doesn't help much to know that an outer major reap is osoto gari
if you don't know what osoto gari is, and if you do, you don't
need the translation). The Japanese term itself is simply a label that
lets teachers communicate with beginning students. Osoto gari
(literally, big outside action consisting of a movement of pulling from
below up toward oneself--the same movement used in cutting rice stalks)
means nothing to a Japanese person who hasn't spent at least a little
time on the mat (osoto gari is usually among the first 2-3
techniques taught to a beginning white belt).

Another good
thing about these tapes is that there is a lot of variety. Very few judo
players at any level know the majority of these throws. Black belts, and
even relatively high ranking black belts, know about a dozen techniques
that they can actually pull off on a resisting opponent of roughly equal
skill and size, at least occasionally. (No one is expected to
single-handedly master the entire Kodokan curriculum.) And most of these
are variations, albeit with different names that make them sound more
different than they are. This is great of course. No two players are
alike. A wide variety of techniques makes it possible for different
people to find the handful that they can make their own, which indeed is
all they usually need (either in the street or at the highest levels of
competition).

It's an
extensive series. There is little (if any) duplication of material. Even
if the same technique appears on different tapes, it is not merely
spliced from one onto another tape. Rather, it is a different look at
the technique, from different angles in a different context. I have
fewer than half of the tapes. The contents are listed below, just as on
the boxes (the boxes also give an English translation for each Japanese
term). Keith is articulate and when he does give explanations, he gets
to the point and is easy to understand. The visual and audio quality is
higher than average. The techniques are all solid and serviceable. Since
the series was made in 1993, it isn't surprising that the ground
fighting segments are a little simplistic, but then, this is the way
judo competitors still fight on the mat in the year 2000.

Vol. 8Black
Belt Lesson

Non-certified throws-

Harai goshi gaeshi

Uchi mata gaeshi

Kani basami

Kawazu gake

o-soto makikomi

uchi mata makikomi

harai makikomi

te guruma

o-soto gake

o-uchi gake

ko-uchi gake

ko-uchi makikomi

entries into holddowns from five
basic newaza positions

ushiro hadaka jime

kuzure hadaka jime

elbow and wrist lock turnovers

self defense vs front choke

vs headlock

bearhugs

atemi waza: gouges, pinches,
yoko gake keri, striking combinations

Vol. 9Self-Defense
Throws and Sweeps vol. 1

Warm Ups

Ukemi

1.yoko-otoshi

2.yoko-tomoe-nage

3.uki-waza

4.uki-otoshi

5.tani-otoshi

6.tani-otoshi-variation

7.yoko-wakare

8.yoko-guruma

9.yoko-guruma as counter throw

10.ura-nage

11.yoko-gake

12.osoto-fake to soto-makikomi

13.obi-tori-gaeshi

14.hane-makikomi variation with obi grip

15.hikikomi-gaeshi

16.sumi-gaeshi

17.cross grip sumi-gaeshi variation

18.tomoe-nage

19.yoko-tomoe-nage

20.blocked tomoe-nage to hikikomi-gaeshi

21.another hikikomi variation

22.cross grip yoko-tomoenage variation

Vol. 10Self-Defense
Throws and Sweeps vol. 2

1.harai-tsurikomi ashi

2.harai-tsurikomi ashi as a counter

3.cross grip variation of sasae-tsurikomi

4.ko-uchi-gari

5.o-uchi-gari

6.o-soto-gari

7.o-soto-guruma

8.nidan-kosoto gari

9.okuri ashi harai

10.ashi-guruma

11.hiza-guruma

12.ko-uchi makikomi

13.o-uchi-gake

14.de-ashi-harai

15.cross grip-ko-soto-gari

16.ko-soto-gari

17.ko-soto-gake

18.o-uchi-gari

19.sasae-tsurikomi vs. kick

20.o-uchi-gari vs. kick

Vol. 11Self-Defense
Throws and Sweeps vol. 3

1.nidan ko-soto-gari vs. kick

2.o-soto-gari vs. kick

3.ko-soto-gari vs. kick

4.uki-goshi

5.uki-seionage

6.o-goshi

7.koshi-guruma

8.tsurikomi-goshi

9.sode-tsurikomi

10.harai-goshi

11.otsuri-goshi

12.hane-goshi

13.hane-makikomi

14.o-guruma

15.soto-makikomi

16.utsuri-goshi

17.ushiro-goshi

18.uchimata

19.cross grip variation on koshi-guruma

20.cross grip harai-goshi

Vol. 13Street
Fighting Self-Defense vol. 1

1.kote-gaeshi

2.seoi-nage 1

3.seoi-nage 2

4.seoi-nage 3

5.taiotoshi

6.grip release 1

7.grip release 2

8.kote-kubi makikomi

9.seoi-nage 4

10.osotogari

11.ote-okubi-nage

12.ude-gatame and ude-garami

13.soto-makikomi vs full Nelson

14.seoi-nage 5

15.ude garami vs bear hug

16.kote-gaeshi vs hammerlock

17.ude-gatame vs headlock

18.seoi-guruma vs reverse headlock

19.ko-soto-gari

20.yoko-otoshi and ude-garami

21.tai-otoshi and wake-gatame and ude-gatame

22.seoi-otoshi

23.ude-garami

24.tai-otoshi vs push

25.hikikomi-gaeshi vs tackle

Vol. 14Street
Fighting Self-Defense vol. 2

1.Turnover from tackle into kuzure-tate-shiho-gatame with neck
crank

2.cross grip tani-otoshi as defense vs. punch

3.o-soto-gari as defense vs. punch

4.seio-nage as defense vs. punch

5.cross grip harai-goshi as defense vs. punch

6.wake-gatame as defense vs. hair grab

7.o-te-gaeshi as defense vs. rear choke

8.ude-gatame as defense vs. rear choke

9.oya-yubi-geashi to te-hishigi to ko-te-gatame vs lapel grab

10.hiza-gashira ate/o-uchi-gari combination vs
double lapel grab

11.ko-te-gaeshi to hiza-gatame vs. knife thrust

12.yoko-geri to waki-gatame to ude-gatame vs
knife thrust

13.seio-nage to juji-gatame vs knife slash

14.o-soto-gari to kuzure-kata-gatame and
hadaka-jime vs club swing

15.harai-goshi kuzure-kesa-gatame to ude-gatame
vs club

16.harai-goshi to kuzure-kesa-gatame vs front
choke

17.seio-nage vs front choke and soto-makikomi

18.ude-gatame vs mount

19.hadaka-jime to ude-gatame vs mount

20.o-te-gaeshi vs mount

21.uphill turn escape vs mount

22.compound lock

23.defense vs gun #1

24.defense vs gun #2

25.defense vs gun #3

Vol. 15Judo
Choking Techniques

1.nami-juji-jime (normal cross choke)

2.gyaku-juji-jime (reverse cross choke)

3.kata-juji-jime (half cross choke

4.hadaka-jime # 1 (naked choke)

5.hadaka-jime # 2 (naked choke variation)

6.okuri-eri-jime (sliding lapel choke)

7.kataha-jime (single wing choke)

8.katate-jime (single hand choke)

9.katate-jime # 2 (variation)

10.ryote-jime (hand curl choke) 1

11.ryote-jime 2

12.ryote-jime 3

13.ryote-jime 4

14.sode-guruma-jime (sleeve wheel choke)

15.sankaku-jime (triangle choke) 1

16.sankaku-jime 2

17.sankaku-jime 3

18.tsukkomi-jime (thrust choke)

19.sankaku-jime 4

20.koshi-jime (hip choke) this is the one Wallid
finished Royce with; the
Brazilians call it Relogio (clock)